Rss Feed
Tweeter button
Facebook button
Technorati button
Reddit button
Myspace button
Delicious button
Digg button
Flickr button
Stumbleupon button
Newsvine button
Youtube button

Shutter Shock

I got home to that 5 lb. package I mentioned yesterday… any guesses what was in it?

Well, some of you already knew, so I’ll just show ya :)

DSCN5648.JPG


DSCN5649.JPG

Due to a surprise tax return, I was able to get this amazing camera I’ve been coveting for SUCH a long time! It’s a Canon EOS Rebel XSi, 12.2 MegaPixels, and it came with the lens shown. Bye bye point and shoot for now… hello lovely SLR! I know I’m late on the bandwagon with this one, but I’ve wanted a dSLR since my last photography class in high school in 1998! I can’t believe this is actually MINE!

While I waited for the battery to charge, Adam and I went out for a quick bite to eat at the local Mediterranean place. I got some hummus, and a variety of meats including lamb shwarma and kefta kabobs (seasoned ground beef patties). It was delicious, and since I had no camera with me, you’ll just have to take my word on it. After dinner, we went on a 30 minute walk at Woodfield Mall, and managed to not purchase anything! I was so eager to get home and play with the new camera.

Like any other happy pet mama, the first things I took pictures of were our animals… so bear with me! I’ll take food pictures tomorrow, I promise! For now, please enjoy our furbabies.

Here’s Raven:

IMG_5654 IMG_5660 IMG_5661 IMG_5681
And Big, our lazy black cat. She hates the camera and wouldn’t sit still:

IMG_5670.JPG
And Ozzy, who someday will take over the world

IMG_5693.JPG

IMG_5697.JPG

IMG_5699.JPG
I’m so beyond thrilled with how simple it is to take great shots with this thing. If any of you have any SLR hints for me, feel free to share in the comments! Adam got me a fantastic case that has its very own poncho, so that’s taken care of. What else ya got for me??

A couple questions to be answered:

Hi Mara, i know that you’ve been doing WW and now the paleo eating plan , i was just wondering what your stats were? weight -wise. Where you started, where you currently are, what your goal is?
If this is too personal of a question, i apologize, i was just wondering since i was reading your ’shrinking’ self section.
Ok, here goes: I’m 5′4″ (on a tall day), and as of right now I weigh 228 lbs. My max EVER was 265 before WW, I lost about 15 before I started WW. To be honest though, I don’t know my true maximum weight because I was afraid of the scale. I was squeezing myself into size 22 jeans though… My ultimate goal is 150 lbs, but my short-term goal for now is to get back under 200. I hit 197 for a period of two weeks before my grandma got sick, and then I never saw it again. I’m just taking it one day, one meal, one hour at a time.


What is your most embarrasing moment? Aside from just sharing my weight stats on my blog? My most embarrassing moment had to be, well, its two times. First, summer before senior year of high school, my color guard team (yes, I was color guard captain) and I were driving down to color guard camp in a rental van with our coach. I must’ve eaten something bad, because upon stopping at the welcome center, I managed to gain the nickname “Ralph” for the rest of Senior year. Also, I was once walking downtown Chicago with my friend Bobby, and I managed to fall off my shoes in the middle of an intersection, and a cab honked at me! I had sprained my ankle, but what did the cabbie care??

There’s a giveaway tomorrow, so make sure you come back (I know you will!) I’m off to play with my new toy, and enjoy a square of dark chocolate before I hit the hay… have a great night!


Technorati Tags: , , , ,

  • Bebo
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • BlogMarks
  • Google Bookmarks
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Delicious
  • Share/Bookmark

Just Call Me Granny!

Yep, its 5 p.m. here.

And I’ve already eaten dinner.

You know those days when there’s something to look forward to the next day, and you just can’t sleep? Maybe Christmas, or the day before your birthday? Well, when a teacher is anticipating a snow day, every little noise sounds like it could be a phone call… and then when the call never comes, it makes for a very sleepy day! When it started snowing harder late this morning, our district administration canceled all after school activities for both teachers and students and we got to all leave at 2:15. Rather than making a trip to the grocery store for dinner in the increasing snow, and deal with people who think its going to be the Snowpocalypse 2010 of the Midwest, we opted for something more epic.

I picked us up sandwiches from Baloneys with every intention of eating it later. Much later. But 4:30 rolled around and my stomach was rumbling, so I opted to eat dinner right then, and will probably have a snack later. I dissected this gorgeous reuben into a sauerkraut, corned beef, and swiss cheese salad… luckily I took a picture before I made it a disgusting-looking yet delicious-tasting mess:


DSCN5603 DSCN5605
It’s kind of nice being done with dinner this early… I feel like I can now just relax, maybe work on perfecting my chocolate almond cookie recipe, and definitely watch Biggest Loser. But, before I go, I got a few more anonymous questions that I’d like to take a minute to answer. These are SO much fun!

What’s your top 5 favorite foods? If we’re talking generically, that’s easy: sushi, cheese, roast chicken, peanut butter, and chocolate. If we’re talking specifically, it’s a bit harder, but I can do it: harumaki roll from Daruma (spicy tuna w/2 kinds of sauce, scallions, and more spicy sauce), burrata cheese, my mom’s (or grandma’s) roast chicken, PB & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams PB, and any chocolate by Vosges.

Do you ever go through long periods of success with your weight loss and then fall off the wagon (rhetorical question)? I just did… :( What do you do to re-motivate yourself ? I was successful on Weight Watchers for a very long time. I quickly lost 50 lbs and then had a terrible year, and suddenly, losing weight lost priority. I lost most of my motivation to lose weight, and instead maintained for a LONG time (3-ish years). I’ve recently gained back 20 or so lbs, and honestly, the ONE thing that helped me get my motivation back was hearing about others’ success. A couple close friends are following a similar eating plan that I’ve recently started, and having great success…which has helped me keep going! My advice: find yourself a support system!!

I know you were on Weight Watchers, what plan are you following now or is just one you have come up with yourself? I loved your wedding photos…so beautiful! First of all, THANK YOU!!! I can’t believe the wedding was almost 3 months ago! I’m following, essentially, the Paleo Diet, as outlined on this site. I didn’t make it up, and as I mentioned here and above, having friends following it too have really helped!

What was your first date (ever) like? Let’s see… I didn’t even realize this WAS a date until years later. It was 6th grade, and this boy from my Hebrew school class liked me. His name was Micah and he wore Hypercolor shirts, and I thought he was SO COOL. He bought me a pen with roses on it for Hanukkah, and then one with my name engraved on it for Valentine’s day. At this point, he invited me to have dinner with his family. I accepted, got dressed up, and his mom made (mind you, this was 1991) veggie burgers and salads with alfalfa sprouts, and offered to teach me Sanskrit in exchange for some Hebrew we were learning. His dad ate his salad with his mouth open and sprouts were hanging out of his mouth like hair… and that’s all I remember!

Do you like turtles? YES! I like turtles :) I think they’re very cool animals, and have quite an affinity for Crush, the turtle from Finding Nemo, dude.

201002091729.jpg

I’m off to be a granny and relax from now until I fall asleep… so probably about 7 p.m. :) Keep those questions coming!

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , ,

  • Bebo
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • BlogMarks
  • Google Bookmarks
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Delicious
  • Share/Bookmark

Simply Random

I had a big event after school today. I got to do something I haven’t done in a very long time… I went to Trader Joe’s! I got a pretty decent haul for a small amount of money, and proceeded to make a simple and random TJ’s dinner. After, of course, I spent some time packing up my secret bloggie Valentine gift! I just hope it doesn’t snow so much tomorrow that I can’t get to the post office!

Back to the random dinner:

DSCN5600.JPG
First, on the left, were some simply sauteed mushrooms and green peppers. Then, to the right of that were some TJ’s tomato basil chicken sausages (quite good I might add!) and above that, the star of the plate, some simple creamed spinach. My mom used to make this creamed spinach ALL the time, and it always surprised me because well, we didn’t eat creamed anything. When we went out for dinner on Saturday, she told me how to make it, and I had to try.

The process is simple: steam and drain a bunch of spinach. Stir in 1 Tbsp. cream cheese, 1 Tbsp. sour cream, and I added a sprinkle of garlic powder. You have to try it!!! It works with fat free dairy, or regular… I might have to make a second batch for when Adam gets home, as I might need to finish this batch!

I had a couple of questions over the weekend, some anonymous and some not… so I’ll get to it!

Lauren from Say What You Need To Say asked: IF you could have anyone in the world over to dinner, who would it be and what would you make? That’s a really tough question… it depends on the day, honestly! There are people I’d like to have over just so I could look at them, but somehow I doubt they’d eat much. If we’re talking living or dead, I’d say Julia Child and/or Eddie Izzard. I know, random! Julia Child would get a simple and standard Jewish meal of brisket, kugel, matzoh ball soup, and kishke. Eddie Izzard though, he’s a bit more difficult. I’d be tempted to cook something very “executive” (Eddie fans will get that) or something with Jam.

Annabel from Feed Me, I’m Cranky asked: I would like to know how you met your hubby! Adam and I actually met in college… but the story isn’t that simple! We met probably multiple times at multiple parties, but neither of us particularly remember, for various reasons. Then, in 2004, sick and tired of dating the “wrong” people, I signed up on JDate. I paid for 3 months, went on COUNTLESS bad dates (seriously, go read that guest post from Jessie’s blog, whose blogiversary is today!) and upon getting the “renew now!” email, I decided to cancel. I had 2 weeks left on my subscription when I got this message from this adorable guy saying “Hey, you went to Bradley and look really familiar. Here’s my IM, let’s chat sometime.” Turned out that this adorable guy was Adam, we had DOZENS of people and stories in common, and figured out quite a few times we’d met before.

Do you ever get scared that you’ll never get to where you want to be? I sometimes feel like I am on a hamster wheel and sometimes I feel like my life, my weight, everything is GREAT and then another week I feel like it is horrible. I wish sometimes I could just be….do you ever have those same fears? This is such a loaded question! There is part of me that wants to say “yes, I get terrified that I’m not really that good at my job, that I’ll be overweight forever, and really don’t want to stay ‘here’ for much longer.” Then, there’s another part of me saying that this, right now, is really the most wonderful things have ever been for me… While yes, sometimes things just suck, and sometimes I get scared, when I get that “hamster wheel” feeling, I make a conscious effort to just get off of it. Change something. Do something I’m scared of.

I’ve been on and off of Weight Watchers for years- and it works really well for me, when I’m that point-counting mode- which is hard to do every single day! How’s your new style of eating going? See any results yet? Can you tell us what you typically eat throughout the day? Thanks! UGH POINT COUNTING MODE!! I know that all too well! I get on the whole Point thing fairly easily, and fall off easily too! I just hate having to overanalyze everything that goes in my mouth. My new eating style is going very very well! According to my bathroom scale (which I get on maybe 2-3 times a week, but really only “take” my Saturday morning weight) I lost 4.5 lbs in my first week eating the way I do. A typical day for me on this plan is:
Breakfast: 2 eggs and 1 egg white scrambled with about 1 c. cooked spinach and 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms, 2 pieces bacon, coffee with half-and-half
Lunch: Usually leftovers from dinner, including additional vegetables. Today was about 2 sliced green peppers and some leftover Italian beef
Snack: Today was a handful of raw almonds. Some days its beef jerky (DYING to try those PrimeSnax that MizFit loves!), some days its avocado or vegetables.
Dinner: Most of you know my dinners already!

As a kid, what was your favorite family meal ? Mine was spag with meat sauce ;) That’s easy. My absolute favorite family meal that was a never-fail, smile on my face meal was when my mom roasted chicken, made garlic roasted potatoes, asparagus, and fillets. My grandma made a very similar meal too, and no matter who made it, I always loved it!

WOW I’m long-winded today… thanks for sticking with me, and don’t forget to Ask Me Anything! I’m LOVING answering all this stuff!

Have a fantastic evening! We’re supposed to get about 8 inches of snow… nothing like you East Coasters, but it still might be enough for a snow day. Keep your fingers crossed!


Technorati Tags: , , , , , , ,

  • Bebo
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • BlogMarks
  • Google Bookmarks
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Delicious
  • Share/Bookmark

Just Call Me HEAB…

Apparently, this is what happens. First come the combinations with the squash and coconut milk. Then come almond flour pancakes for breakfast, then comes this:

DSCN5592.JPG

What the heck is that? Apparently I’m taking after HEABy! Well, the toppings are obvious: homemade guacamole and sour cream. Under that, there’s some chili-lime chicken. Then, a little cheddar cheese. All of this is sitting on a warm spinach, mushroom, and tomato salsa. Where the heck did this idea come from??? Honestly, I have no idea. I really have no recipe for any of this stuff, but more of a procedure for each of the parts.

Part 1: Guacamole Mash 3-4 avocados in a bowl, add 1/4 c. chopped red onion, one chopped jalapeño, one chopped tomato, some cilantro (I used a bit of dried because the fresh stuff got gross), a little garlic powder, and the juice of two limes. Stir well, and add the pits of the avocados to prevent browning.

Part 2: Chili-Lime Chicken Chop 3 chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. Add the juice of 3 limes, about 1 Tbsp. chili powder, a bit of garlic powder, and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Then stir in one coarsely chopped jalapeño and allow to marinate about 20 minutes. Add chicken to a hot pan, lightly sear all sides, then add 1/2 c. water, lower the heat, and cover. Cook 10 minutes.

Part 3: Warm Mushroom Spinach Salsa Heat another frying pan. Add a bit of olive oil, then about 6 or 7 small white mushrooms, sliced. Cook a few minutes, then add 2 diced roma tomatoes. Cook a couple minutes until juices are released from the mushrooms. Add 2 big handfuls of spinach. Cook until wilted, then add hot sauce to your taste. Stir well and serve.

I liked the layering action happening in this bowl, but of course my favorite part was the guacamole. I could’ve eaten the entire 3-avocado bowl of it, but I want to try to save some for you know, another meal.

Thank you all so much for the compliments on the new ‘do! I’m loving it, and its definitely taking some getting used to. I actually walked past a mirror today and didn’t recognize myself.

I got another anonymous question today! Someone asked:

Are you still following Weight Watchers?

In a word: no. Last spring, I found myself getting obsessive about counting Points, far too emotionally attached to the number on the scale, and would end up crying most Saturday mornings after my meetings. I’d been stuck at the same weight for a long time (almost 3 years). In June or so, we decided to not re-up our Weight Watchers membership and save the $80 a month. Between then and now, I’ve gained back about 15 or 20 lbs depending on the day, and I’m not ok with it. This is why the eats have been looking a bit different.

With the support of my good friend at work as well as our favorite Almond Butter Lover, I’m following the plan touted by Mark’s Daily Apple and others known as the Paleo diet. It’s a higher protein, high vegetables, low-dairy, no-grain, and as-natural-as-possible eating plan. I’ve been following it for almost a week, and am feeling better than I have in quite some time! I’m hoping that eventually, I’ll actually start losing weight again. I always scoffed at the “low carb” eating plans, but I’m starting to think it may be a good thing for me. I’m less hungry now than I was when I was eating tons of grains and starches. Feeling good is almost enough… but I’d like to lose some weight again too without being obsessed about numbers in any way.

Who’s got another one for me??

Don’t forget to vote for Jenn and Bobby in the Crate and Barrel Ultimate Wedding Contest!

Finally Friday tomorrow!!!!


Technorati Tags: , , , , , , ,

  • Bebo
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • BlogMarks
  • Google Bookmarks
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Delicious
  • Share/Bookmark

Just a Sprinkling… (Giveaway Post!)

After years (literally, 3.5 years) of counting Weight Watchers Points®, this past week, I decided I’d had it. I spent one last week counting to the best of my ability while I researched other possible eating plans. While I know that I *should* attempt the whole intuitive eating thing, my intuition would lead me to chicken fingers, burgers, and french fries at this point.

After asking some advice from trusted sources, I picked up One Week in the Zone by Dr. Barry Sears since it seemed like a logical and non-counting-based eating plan. The thing in reading a good portion of the book that really stuck with me was that simple carbs were to be used like a condiment; “just a sprinkling” on each meal. My simple carb consumption had gotten out of control, and I KNOW that’s not good for me. So today, my brunch salad had a few croutons and I avoided the sugary dressing and bread. Late lunch was literally a salad on high-fiber bread with some turkey, and then dinner is something I’m quite proud of!

Rather than having a bowl full of gnocchi (which is what I wanted) with a bit of veggies, I made a bowl of veggies with a few gnocchi and some shrimp… oh, and Chavrie goat cheese, which I’ll get to in a minute.

Creamy Shrimp and Vegetables with Gnocchi

serves 6

DSCN4212.JPG

Ingredients
1/2 lb. frozen shrimp, thawed
1 lb broccoli, cut into florets
2 red peppers, diced
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 oz. Chavrie goat cheese
1/2 tsp. dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pkg. gnocchi

Directions
Heat oil and garlic in a large pan. Add red peppers, broccoli, and basil and stir to combine. Cook until broccoli is done and peppers are soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Add pint of tomatoes and stir well. In the same frying pan, add the shrimp and cook until thawed. Add to the bowl. Cook the gnocchi according to package directions, drain, and add to bowl. Then, add the Chavrie and stir until it’s melted and all ingredients are lightly coated. Enjoy!

I had literally, 6 gnocchi in my first serving. It didn’t even matter because the rest of it was so good, and the goat cheese added a little bit of a “gourmet” taste to something truly simple.
I’ve been a fan of goat cheese ever since I was 18 and went to Spain. They have a dish there, a hot tapas dish actually, called “queso de cabra al horno” which is baked goat cheese in tomato sauce served with chewy Spanish bread. I fell in love with it then, and eat it whenever we go out for tapas. I got adventurous with goat cheese since I started blogging, and enjoyed it here in my basil-chavrie stuffed burgers and here in my gnocchi with pesto chavrie. After these recipes, the lovely people at Chavrie contacted me and sent me coupons for FREE CHAVRIE (hey that rhymes!) There were two sets of coupons: one for me to use and try the product (which I love) and one for me to give away to ONE LUCKY READER!!

200908102113.jpg 200908102114.jpg

There’s not one coupon, but TWO! One is for a FREE Chavrie goat cheese product (up to $5), and a FREE baby brie wedge (up to $8, I think). But wait! This gets better! Since I’ll be sending the coupons myself, the winner will also get their choice of a foodie charm! You have three chances to enter:
  1. Leave a comment on this post
  2. Link back to this post on your blog OR if you don’t have a blog, email me at mara@imadedinner.net for your second entry.
  3. Tweet this on twitter: I want to win @chavrie from @imadedinner!  

You can do all of the above, or any combination of the above to win! Winners will be chosen at random using random.org on Thursday’s dinner post.

Good luck!

I’m off to enjoy this no-sugar-added lovely root beer float that Adam just presented to me!

DSCN4215.JPG

Have a great Tuesday all!

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

  • Bebo
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • BlogMarks
  • Google Bookmarks
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Delicious
  • Share/Bookmark

Just Met Hugh

Hugh Jass that is! After tweeting today that I had no idea what to cook for dinner, the lovely Sarah suggested I make a taco salad. Thought process immediately following:

  • taco salad sounds good.
  • taco salad has lots of stuff on it
  • we don’t have lots of stuff.
  • I should go to the grocery store
  • Valli is a grocery store.
  • Valli has the best guacamole in the world
  • Taco salads have guacamole!

It was then decided that since taco salads are a vehicle for guacamole, that would be dinner. So it was tweeted, and so it was done.

DSCN3882.JPG

My Hugh Jass taco salad (would that make it Enrique Jass?) consisted of:

  • fresh romaine lettuce
  • fat free refried beans
  • low fat cheddar cheese
  • fat free sour cream
  • fresh salsa
  • fresh (world’s best!) guacamole
  • marinated chicken taco meat from Valli

It was just perfect. I ended up crumbling a few baked tortilla chips on top of the salad for a bit of crunch, which added a nice touch. I felt like I needed some veggies after the last few days of raw fish and too much alcohol!

OH and an addition to my anniversary party/blogger meet up post! I completely forgot to share the amazingly generous gift I received from my bosses in recognition of my 10 years. They got me a beautiful watch! I tried to take a picture of it on my wrist, but photographing jewelry is, I swear, ten times harder than photographing food! This is a picture from the Nordstrom website:


J109_50105711_120.jpg

Isn’t it pretty? I’m even more impressed that it was picked out without any help from my bosses’ wives! Thanks again guys :)

In other blog news, if you look up in my top menu bar, you’ll see a new Food Journal link. I’ll be posting my “Tweet, Eat, Post” chart every day. I’m hoping that the accountability factor will help get me back on a “losing weight” track. You can follow my food journal on twitter by following @WhatMaraEats. Thanks for the cool tool, Roni!

Week 7 of camp is going to be a fantastic one, I can already tell! With my official birthday celebrations beginning on Tuesday night, and continuing all week through next Saturday, there’s no way it can be a bad week! I still can’t believe that I’m going to be 29… I can remember being about 10 when all my friends were having their golden birthdays (turning the same age as the date of your birthday, i.e. turning 10 on the 10th) and thinking “I’m never going to get to my golden birthday. 29 is just soooooo oooolllldddd.” But here I am, in what’s sure to be one of the best years of my life!

Enough sappiness… This week will hold a trip to Chuck E. Cheese, squirt gun wars, a day at a County Fair, duckie cookies from Iowa Girl Eats, dinners out, dinners in, a camp overnighter, and bowling at a luxury bowling alley. I can’t wait!

Technorati Tags: , , , , ,

  • Bebo
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • BlogMarks
  • Google Bookmarks
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Delicious
  • Share/Bookmark

A Big Fat Thank You

I’m beyond overwhelmed by the number of wonderful, supportive, amazing comments on my post yesterday. I cannot get over how fantastic this blogging community is. So thank you, all of you, for your comments and stories. They really made me feel like less of a big fat nutcase and a bit more normal. I never could’ve anticipated your response.
So, thank you all, from the bottom of my heart for helping to scrape me up and put me back together.
Stay tuned for a very special cute food Saturday, and don’t forget to enter my coconut flour giveaway. You all deserve to win! Sorry for the lack of links, but our internet is down and I’m phlogging: phone blogging!
Thank you again, wonderful readers!
SS

Technorati Tags: ,

  • Bebo
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • BlogMarks
  • Google Bookmarks
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Delicious
  • Share/Bookmark

A Night at the Theater

Tonight was quite a different Friday than normal. Usually, I get home around 3 p.m., hang out at home for a bit, we go for sushi or other dinner, then go home and relax. Today? Notsomuch.

I left work at around 2:30 since our principal is amazing and lets the teachers leave right after the students on Fridays. I stopped to visit Adam at work, and then headed to my favorite nail place to get the fingers prettified. In honor of the NP Queen, Kelsey, I bring you the color and the fingers:

  DSCN2538477

I know they don’t look like the same color, but I swear they are! It’s Essie Exposure, artistically decorated by my favorite nail dude. I love the summery look of the pink.

After I got the nails done, I headed home and changed into a slightly warmer outfit since my legs were freezing in my skirt. Adam and I then got in the car to head BACK to my school for the annual school play. Of course, we had to get dinner on the way! There is a great little Mexican place that my coworkers and I frequent on meeting days when we have more than the usual 25 minutes for lunch called Pablo’s. This is not your gourmet fancy Mexican place, nor is it an authentic taqueria. This place is very reminiscent of the over-decorated Americanized Mexican restaurants I frequented in Peoria, IL while attending Bradley University.The food, however, is quite surprising. They have the usual Mexican standbys, but being the adventurous eater I am, I try something new each time I go.

Before I get to the entree, you have to see what may or may not have been consumed before and after ordering:

DSCN2525 DSCN2526

This salsa was quite possibly some of the best we’ve ever had, not to mention the fact that the chips were HOT. The salsa though, was so simple and delicious…I think just tomatoes, cilantro,onions, jalapeno, and plenty of lime and salt. Delicioso!

I ordered something I’d never had, and it just sounded too good to pass up! This was a “Whole Wheat Burro”, a whole wheat tortilla stuffed with tons of vegetables, a chipotle sauce and cheese (I ordered easy on the cheese and easy oil). I’ll have to get this again, because it totally rocked!

DSCN2528 DSCN2530

(Can you tell I’m liking this side-by-side picture thing?)

This burrito had inside: onions, peppers, zucchini, red peppers, broccoli, carrots, and yellow squash. Oh, and black beans on the side. Needless to say, I’ll be sleeping with the window open.

We headed to my school after dinner to catch the play. I love seeing my students outside of class (sometimes) because they’re always SO happy to see me! I had about 15 students in the play and another 10 that did set building or crew of some sort, and they were very grateful we came. The play was adorable, and I was quite impressed with the acting skills of these kids!

THEN we went to Walgreens for a few necessities, Best Buy to look for non-necessities (and to drool over amazing kitchens!), then we decided we needed something sweet. Since it was after 9 p.m, my beloved Fruz was closed… so we went for the next best thing:

DSCN2531

Yes, that would be a Cappuccino Blast. With real ice cream. And coffee. 7 Points and worth each and every sip. I’ve wanted one for MONTHS and now… ah… so delicious! I’m drinking it slowly, savoring, and I may not finish it.

Tomorrow is my friend Meghan’s baby shower! I haven’t seen her since our engagement party, and I’m so beyond excited! Before that though, I’m going to Weigh In. I’ve had a great week. Really. No, I didn’t work out every day…heck, I really only worked out once. BUT, I made great choices, paid attention to my body signals, and enjoyed many people telling me I look smaller. I feel good (except for a mildly infected nose piercing) and I must remember this (Thanks Stephanie at Back in Skinny Jeans for this quote)

I’m not a number on a box of springs. I am responsible for the effort, not the outcome. I’ve had a helluva lot of effort this week… the outcome? We’ll see…

Make sure to come back tomorrow for Cute Food Saturday, and keep those Guest Dinners coming in to mara@imadedinner.net!

 

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

  • Bebo
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • BlogMarks
  • Google Bookmarks
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Delicious
  • Share/Bookmark

Veinticinco Cosas = Twenty-Five Things

Eastgate25Adam and I went to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner tonight, so rather than boring you with another picture of a huge salad, bowl of soup, 2” piece of focaccia, or sundae, I’m going to share a bit into who I am. Melissa from Tales of a (Recovering) Disordered Eater tagged me in this “25 Things” survey (I think the blog term is meme?) and even though I did one on Facebook a while back, I’m doing another one. This one though, will share a bit about my history with food, weight loss, cooking, and a few random things too…

1.)  I never in a million years thought I would have a food blog. I started this one on a whim, and now cannot imagine NOT doing it! I have met some of the most wonderful people, and am honored to be part of such a caring community.

2.) At one point in my life, I weighed almost 260 lbs and wore a size 24. I’m only 5’4”.

3.) In those days (the 260-lb days that is) my food was out of control. Breakfast would be 2 McGriddles, a whole milk white chocolate mocha, lunch was usually leftover pizza, after-work snacks were super-sized value meals from whatever fast food place I passed, and dinner was often stuffed pizza.

4.) Saturdays when I woke up around noon, I’d call the local Italian joint. I’d order an Italian beef with cheese and an order of fried jalapeno poppers… then eat lunch when Adam got up later.

5.) I have absolutely no desire to be a runner. None. At all. I had a brief phase of wanting to run… tried it, hurt my knee and I haven’t been in so much constant pain ever in my life than that miserable 3 weeks.

6.) I’m told that when I was in kindergarten, I came home and told my mom that the other kids have this “really cool bread” that’s “all white on the inside and only beige around the verrrry outside.” I’d never seen white bread before.

7.) Growing up, my lunches at school often consisted of a whole wheat pita with cashew butter and apricot preserves, graham crackers, and flavored seltzer instead of soda. Sounds great now, but kids made fun of me!

8.) I now can’t stomach too much fat. I had a burger at a restaurant recently, and let’s just say the aftermath wasn’t pretty.

9.) I’m one of the lucky people that absolutely loves my job. I’m doing what I always wanted to do, and I like to think I’m darn good at it.

10.) I lost 5 lbs. a week my first month on Weight Watchers because I (gasp!) stopped eating crap and started eating less crappy food.

11.) It wasn’t until I started cooking that I really started to appreciate quality ingredients.

12.) In college, I was so bad about doing the dishes that a housemate (I lived in a boarding-house type place) bought a Rubbermaid tub and would put my dishes in it. I’d wash the dishes in the tub about once every 2 weeks. Gross, I know.

13.) In that same house, our idea of a fun night was going to the craft store, buying supplies for a random craft, drinking cheap wine, and making said craft. My mom still has a bubble vase encrusted with plastic beads.

14.) I didn’t really drink in college. I got great at holding a drink, and would sip here and there, and I can count on one hand (ok 3 fingers) the number of times I’ve been REALLY drunk.

15.) I often go through the housewares section at department stores just to see the pretty colors of Le Crueset cookware. I’d love to have a whole set someday.

16.) Cooking scallops scares me. They’re so expensive, and so easy to mess up… so I leave it to the pros.

17.) I’ve never eaten a whole lobster. (Miss Tiffie, I know, it’s just wrong!)

18.) I’m often disgusted by the things that many people think are “SO GOOD!” Seriously, who needs a bread bowl full of fettucine alfredo?

19.) Sometimes, I just want to be able to eat whatever I feel like eating and not analyze every bite that goes into my mouth. Points just come naturally now…and I hate it.

20.) I can turn my feet out so far that it looks like my body’s on backwards. It used to freak out my P.E. teachers.

21.) I miss my grandma every day. She passed away over 2 years ago, and I attribute much of my love for food to her and my mom. So many smells and tastes (including banana chocolate anything and peanut butter) remind me of my grandma’s sunny yellow kitchen. She’d love reading my blog… if she’d had a computer!

22.) Speaking of my mom, I’m grateful every day that I cook something new for the skills she taught me about cooking by feel and smell, and appreciating good ingredients. I wish I’d picked up her “clean up as you go” habit though…

23.) I have my nose pierced, and am leaving the stud in for our wedding.

24.) Our Save the Date cards went out today!

25.) I’m beyond thankful for the love of my life, Adam, and his tolerance of my food obsessions, my weigh in catastrophes, and just being willing to taste my cooking.

So now, you know a bit more about me… in lieu of tagging anyone else, I’m going to tag ALL of you! Leave one random fact about yourself in the comments! Maybe I’ll compile them in another post…

I’m still looking for Guests for Dinner! Send me your submissions to mara@imadedinner.net

The guidelines:

  • a short post outlining in some way what you ate for dinner. It can be a recipe, a description, a how-to, or a combination of all of those.
  • a photo of the meal! Everyone loves pictures!
  • What did you THINK of your meal? Would you eat it again? Does the recipe have a story?

Have a wonderful night!

P.S. Check out Spiceaholic’s (remember? My guest yesterday?) FABULOUS Indian spice giveaway!

Technorati Tags: ,

  • Bebo
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • BlogMarks
  • Google Bookmarks
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Delicious
  • Share/Bookmark

A “Weight”y Subject

I went to the doctor today. Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong… I just had to have my yearly “girl” exam. But in the context of the exam and the doc asking “What else is up?” I burst into tears. I explained to her that over the past 2 years, I’ve eaten right and stayed fairly active (though the hardcore workouts just started 3 weeks ago), and followed Weight Watchers and CANNOT seem to lose any more weight. Sure, I’ve lost 45 lbs and kept it off for almost 2 years… but when I have 55 more to go, it’s a drop in the bucket.

I explained to my doctor (I just started seeing her last year) that my previous doctor had prescribed Lexapro (an anti-depressant) and Phentermine (a strong diet drug) to help me lose weight. I had easily lost about 30 pounds and was happy at 160 when my Phentermine prescription ran out. I continued taking my Lexapro. Within 6 months I was up almost 50 lbs, and within a year I was up to my highest weight ever. She asked me for my “weight loss timeline” and I broke it down for her. We figured out that for these last 6 years since I’ve been on Lexapro, I’ve never been below 200 lbs. My doc was fairly surprised that with my diet the way it is with the lean meats and whole grains and fruits and veggies, and the recent exercise that I was not only not losing weight, but gaining.

We (together) came to a conclusion and made a decision: The Lexapro needs to go. I’m going to gradually wean myself off of it over the course of about 2 months and see how I feel. I have a whole schedule on how to do it, and hopefully, it will help me start losing weight again. She told me that I would not be the first person she’d seen who lost weight at first on Lexapro, and then had it just stop. I’m a bit nervous about it… that little white pill has been a daily occurence in my life for 6 years, as have its effects.

Something that really hit me though, was that I don’t even know if the effects were necessary. While sure, before I started taking it, I’d have my ups and downs, and my downs were a little lower than they are now. But REALLY thinking about it, I was always a happy person with a few “issues”, and they were NOT issues I would thik to medicate away now. We’ll see how this all goes! It’s a brand new adventure.

Wow, that was long and rambling… sheesh! Was that an overshare? No… I think an overshare would’ve been to tell you in more detail what else went on at that exam!

After my doctor’s appointment, I met a friend of mine for dinner. Michele and I have been working at the same summer job since well, before she could really work at this summer job! She was a camper at Good Times Day Camp in 2000 when I started working there, and we clicked right away. She was just a “cool kid”. Now, 10 years later, she’s like a little sister! We went to P.F. Changs for dinner and I officially have a new favorite dish: Stir-Fried Eggplant with Brown Rice

Spicy, sweet, saucy, and 3 veggie servings!

Spicy, sweet, saucy, and 3 veggie servings!

There was a very cool mini-dessert thing that they have at P.F. Changs too! You all know how much I love tiny food, and tiny desserts are a total weakness of mine, and there were 8 different choices!! I got a “lemon supreme” shot and Michele got a “S’Mores” shot.

They even came with a tiny spoon!

They even came with a tiny spoon!

It was a very long, stressful, and draining afternoon, but I’m hoping that something positive will come of all of this! Here’s to challenges, changes, and TINY DESSERTS!

Thanks for reading my ramblings tonight… you’re all the best!

xoxo,

Technorati Tags: , ,

  • Bebo
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • BlogMarks
  • Google Bookmarks
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Delicious
  • Share/Bookmark